Border spade vs digging spade
Updated: October 2026
A border spade vs digging spade choice is about how much soil you move, and where you have to stand. Buy the digging spade for volume and new ground. Buy the border spade for gaps, raised beds, and a lighter lever. The prices and the full nine are on the [stainless steel spade comparison](/hub/digging-tools/stainless-steel-spade). This page only decides size. Peter F. compared the listings in October 2026. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A border spade vs digging spade choice is about how much soil you move, and where you have to stand. Buy the digging spade for volume and new ground. Buy the border spade for gaps, raised beds, and a lighter lever.
A border spade vs digging spade choice is about how much soil you move, and where you have to stand. Buy the digging spade for volume and new ground. Buy the border spade for gaps, raised beds, and a lighter lever. The prices and the full nine are on the stainless steel spade comparison. This page only decides size. Peter F. compared the listings in October 2026. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Type | Weight | Size | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 1190EL Select | Digging spade | 2.13 kg | 102 x 18 x 7 cm | 9.4 | about £26.40 | View offer |
 Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 4454BS border | Border spade | 1.52 kg | Blade 230 x 145 mm | 9.2 | about £27.80 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 4450DS Traditional | Digging spade | 181 g listed | 102 x 18 x 9.5 cm | 9.2 | about £24.20 | View offer |
On this page
The two blades
Published UK guides tend to put a digging blade at about 28 to 30 cm long and about 18 to 19 cm wide, and a border blade at about 23 cm by 14 cm. Those are other publishers’ figures, not a measurement this site took. The Spear & Jackson Traditional 4454BS states 230 mm by 145 mm, which is 23 cm by 14.5 cm, on a 28 inch shaft, at 96 x 14 x 8 cm and 1.52 kg.
The digging spades do not print a blade in millimetres. The Select 1190EL is 102 x 18 x 7 cm and 2.13 kg. The Traditional 4450DS is 102 x 18 x 9.5 cm, and its 181 g weight line is not a figure to trust. The Neverbend 1160SP is 98.5 x 17.8 x 9.8 cm and 1.9 kg. The extra width and the extra mass are what you pay for on a plot, not in a gap.
When the digging spade is the one to buy
Choose a digging spade when you are opening a bed, lifting turf, or turning an allotment. The three digging tools here are the 4450DS at about £24.20, the 1160SP at about £29.98, and the 1190EL at about £26.40. Reviewers on the Select talk about allotment clay. Reviewers on the Neverbend digging spade talk about London clay. A lighter border head will take more cuts, and several reviews say it is not for heavy clay.
One tool only, for a new plot, means the digging spade. The best-value role sits on the 4450DS, and the top-pick role sits on the Select. Who should skip each is on the best stainless steel spade page. A digging blade is the wrong buy when the bed is a 40 cm strip and you keep knocking the plants.
When the border spade is enough
A border spade is enough when the work is edging, planting in gaps, and turning soil in a raised bed you can already reach. In this set that is the 4454BS at about £27.80, the Neverbend 1161BS at about £32.99 and 1.54 kg, the Kent & Stowe 70100013 at about £30.99 and 1.72 kg, and the Draper Heritage 99012 at about £31.67 and 1.74 kg. The 4454BS has the largest review file of the nine, 4.6 out of 5 from 1,476. People call it comfortable for a shorter gardener. A 1161BS review includes someone about 5 ft 6 in who found the size right. That height is one reviewer’s line, not a rule from this site.
The 4454BS sample says it is not for heavy clay or huge trenches, and smaller than buyers who skipped the 230 mm line. If the border size is right, the buying guide is where you pick the socket and the grip. How you stand on the smaller tread is on the how to dig page.
Flower and children’s spades are different again
The Spear & Jackson 4750FS flower spade is 53 cm overall and 470 g. The bullets cover lifting, splitting, and planting, including raised beds. It is not a border spade, and a 96 cm border spade is still a spade. The children’s 4350CS lists 820 mm and a blade of 180 mm by 134 mm, at 1 kg, with 4.6 out of 5 from 333 reviews. That blade is smaller than the 230 by 145 mm border head. Reviewers say it suits children of about 5 to 10 and also a petite adult, and that it is a real steel spade rather than a toy. It needs supervision. It will not open an allotment.
Common questions
What is the blade difference in centimetres?
Guides often quote a digging blade around 28 to 30 cm by 18 to 19 cm, and a border blade around 23 cm by 14 cm. The only blade this set prints in millimetres is the 4454BS, at 230 mm by 145 mm. Weight is the clearer gap on the listings. The Select is 2.13 kg. The 4454BS is 1.52 kg.
Can I own only a border spade?
You can, if the garden is borders, edges, and raised beds, and you are not opening compacted ground. You should not, if the plan is an allotment or a new lawn bed. Reviews on the 4454BS say it is the wrong tool for heavy clay and for trenches. Add the border tool when the full blade keeps hitting the plants you meant to keep.
Which of these are border spades?
The border spades are the Spear & Jackson 4454BS, the Spear & Jackson 1161BS Neverbend, the Kent & Stowe 70100013, and the Draper Heritage 99012. The digging spades are the 4450DS, the 1160SP, and the 1190EL. The style name on the listing is the first check, then the blade line if there is one. A Neverbend badge does not tell you the size. There is a Neverbend digging spade and a Neverbend border spade, and they are different tools.
Is the flower spade a border spade?
No. The 4750FS is a flower spade, 53 cm overall and 470 g, with a pointed, dished head for dividing plants. A border spade in this set is still around a metre long and about 1.5 kg. Using the flower spade as a border spade is how people end up disappointed that it will not turn a perennial clump the way they imagined. Keep it for bulbs, small holes, and beds where you cannot swing a full shaft.
Will a border spade open an allotment?
It will make a start, and it will make a long job of it. Compacted soil and a wide bed want the digging blade. Reviewers who bought the 4454BS for heavier work said it was not that tool. You can own a border spade as the second tool for paths and edges once the plot is open. Using it as the only tool because it was about £27.80 and felt kind in the shop is the expensive way to do a slow dig.
Related pages
Sources
Public sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set on 20 October 2026.
- BSI BS 3388:2004 forks, shovels and spades (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods remedies (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE HSG47 Avoiding danger from underground services (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE good handling technique (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- RHS cleaning garden tools (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BBC Gardeners’ World best garden spades (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Energy Networks Association, Think before you dig (retrieved 20 October 2026)